Hey' I'm Nancy Drew
by betzo
Summary: Nancy and friends find a crime that puts them in danger.


The Beginning...of HEY! I'M NANCY DREW.

"Hey this is crazy," Bess said as she and George, my dear, dear friends, and

I entered the dark house. Maybe she was right. It WAS not midnight, in fact it

was just before dusk, but a case is a case so here we were and it was pitch

black inside of the house. My new friend, Jodie, had come here just last week and

now she was gone. Vanished. And I, Nancy Drew, aimed to find where she went.

My flashlight aglow I was able to find a light switch so I flicked it on.

Bess and George both relaxed as the inside of the house was flooded with

light.

"There," I said. "Better?"

"Why in the world would she come out to this spooky place?" George asked as I

looked around the room.

"Much better," they both agreed. "We feel a whole lot safer now that we can

see."

I nodded. I was used to dark, spooky places, after all I'm Nancy Drew.

The room we stood in was bare, mostly, a stuffed easy chair, a olive colored

couch, coffee table, a small table with a lamp on it. The ancient curtains were

drawn so only a peek of fading evening light peaked through.

"You mean Jodie lived in this...du...place?" It was George who made the

observation, George who rarely criticized anything or anybody.

I glanced over at George and briefly admired her casual beauty. Short dark

hair and sparkling eyes, trim athletic figure in white, very white tennis

shorts. A lavender blouse buttoned at the collar covering her smallish breasts

neatly.

An All- American girl alright.

All-American. That was how I was often described. the truth is I kinda liked

that when it was said about me. "You know, Carson Drew's pretty daughter," was

also said. I usually blushed. Yes I liked being described as pretty but I truly

preferred 'intelligent', 'smart'. How I looked was incidental.

Bess on the other hand spent a ton of time on her looks, her makeup, shopping

for the right clothes. She was blond and pretty but a tad on the plump side, but

all in all, attractive.

Anyway here we all were, in a dark house searching for clues to the vanishing

of Jodie Meyers heiress to what was said to be a vast fortune. And, more

importantly, a friend of mine.

I noticed two things right away. A book was lying, upside down beside the

coffee table and I could see a small scrap of paper under the couch. Bess, her

sense of order disturbed quickly picked up the book and put it on the coffee

table.

"Hmmmmmm?" I thought retrieving the scrap of paper and reading it.

I Hope you can make it.

Auntie

The paper was crumbled somewhat, as if it had been hurriedly stuffed into...a

pocket? A purse?

I put the scrap in the pocket of my tan skirt without Bess or George

noticing. They always said I could find mayhem in the weekly meeting of a quilt

knitting club.

I went into the kitchen with the girls following. There was a

used coffee cup. a used butter knife and a already stale piece of bread. And a

paper weight on the counter too.

What was a paper weight doing in, of all places, a kitchen? On a desk I

wouldn't have given it a second thought but here?

I hefted it. Yep, it was heavy enough to knock a girl out, I thought.

George came over and took it from my hand. "I know what your thinking," she

said. "A good conk on the head with this and you'd be knocked out, huh?"

I had to admit that was exactly what I was thinking. Jodie was gone, she

didn't drink coffee so the cup belonged to...? A third party. Her Auntie? Jodie

could have been lured to the house, knocked out, kidnapped.

Or, as Bess might suggest, it was my imagination.

Chapter 2

We all looked around all the dark corners of the house until it was too dark to see. I had my pen

light but neither Bess nor George had any flashlights at all so they tagged

along close behind me which meant we were not covering much ground. Finally

there were no further clues to be found, or the fact that Bess wasn't taking all

this serious. George, a good friend as always, never protested one word but I

could feel her heart wasn't in our search.

Anyway, they were both glad when we retreated to my blue Mustang.

As we drove down the road I insisted we make one, lone stop, at the nearest

neighbors, which was a quarter of a mile down the road. There was a light on

inside the house and an elderly woman answered my knock.

"Can I help you?"

I nodded. "I'm Nancy Drew and these are my friends Bess and George."

The woman nodded.

"I'm," I went on, " I'm looking for my friend Jodie. I was supposed to meet

her at the house down the road, When we arrived it didn't look like the house

was habitable. And Jodie wasn't there. I was just wondering about the

house..."

The woman interrupted me. "That old place? It hasn't been occupied since

heaven knows when."

"Really?"

"I shouldn't say that. Lately there's been a car there. I never see anyone

but the car is always there. Wait! Yesterday I saw a woman, she was loading a

large laundry bag into the trunk."

"What did she look like?" I asked. Aha!

The woman thought for a moment. "Oh, I don't know. Just a woman. Young I

think since though she was struggling with the bag she certainly wasn't any

where near," the woman indicated the back of her house with her thumb, "that old

coot's age."

An elderly, grey haired man appeared beside her. he gave his wife a quick

look of disgust. "Out of state license plates. New York I think."

That was all he said before disappearing again.

She had nothing more to add so we returned to my Mustang. We were pulling up

to the road from the driveway when a green Lincoln passed at high speed. It was

heading back toward town and a woman was driving it. Also its New York plates

were very clear.

"Oh oh," Bess said. She knew I was going to follow that car and she knew

there would be no way to stop me. This kind of thing was in my blood.

The Lincoln, with us behind at a discreet distance, led us to another house a

few miles down the road. The house was occupied since the outside light was on

the porch, as were the lights inside.

I slowed down long enough to see a woman, a smartly dressed woman wearing a

dark blue skirt and light blue blazer climb from the Lincoln and head toward the

house.

George, sitting shotgun looked over at me. "Nancy Drew's juices are up,

huh?"

"They're roaring," I replied. "Absolutely roaring."

I took note of the address and headed back to town. No sense questioning the

woman at this point. First I wanted to see about who owned the house and who the

woman might be.

By nine o'clock next morning I knew.

I don't own Nancy Drew, I'm just pretending to be her. For now.

Nancy Drew tidbits:

Nancy was once 16 years old.

Nancy, at one time, carried a revolver.

Nancy is exactly one inch shorter than George.

Chapter 3

I soon found out the house had been owned by Jodie's grandfather who, upon his death, had willed it to Jodie. It was an old house, as I had seen, and because of it's rural location, not that valuable.

Jodie's mother had passed away also, as had her father. Jodie's mother's sister, younger sister, was still alive and must have been the 'Auntie' in the note we found at the house.

Still the question remained, where was Jodie?

I dearly wanted to do some snooping but it was too late, or too early giving my usual mid-night adventures. The house the woman had entered could be investigated the follow night. Right now it was time to indulge Bess. George had other plans so it was up to me to be Bess' shopping partner.

I picked Bess up and we headed for the new boutique on Pine. Bess, as you might know, was as clothes crazy as she was boy crazy.

The Barbara's Boutique had loads of up date fashions hanging from one rack after another. bess' eyes lit up the minute we entered the store. In no time Bess had an arm full of dresses, skirts and blouses and headed back to the dressing rooms in the rear.

A woman who had been arranging blouses on a table approached where I was standing. "Looks like your friend is going to be a while."

"For sure," I replied. "And that's Bess to a tee."

I glanced at the woman's name tag. Gloria was printed in black across it. "Can I be of service to you?"

"Not really. I'm just along for company. And to nod approval after Bess makes her selections. I suspect she'll try on every thing her size. Is this your Boutique?"

"I wish," she responded. "It's Barbara's. It's way beyond my means to open."

The saleslady was a stylish 40 year old with thick, but neat, gray hair. She wore a simple lime green skirt topped with a green, silk blouse and calf high black boots.

Other customers entered and the woman hurried over them to see if she could be of help. I picked through some of the racks. Not being a clothes hound I expected not to find anything until I came across a darling white and black checkered, sleeveless dress. In my size.

I took it and retreated to the changing rooms. Bess was in the first one and humming happily as I went by. There were four more further on so I went to the farthest one and closed the curtain.

There I started to undress. I didn't get that far, kicked off my shoes and just slipped off my skirt and let it puddle to the floor. I was starting to unbutton my blouse when the curtain flung open.

All I saw was a purple blur. I had time to grab the new dress and hold it in front of me. Protectively. After all I was wearing just my blouse and a lace trimmed half slip over my pantyhose.

I was more startled than frightened and the dress from the rack I had planned to try on was no protection for what happened next.

The purple blur was the color of the dress the woman was wearing. I saw that much before a fist, her fist, landed on my chin.

It was goodnight Nancy Drew and I plunged into blackness.

"I think she's coming to." A voice from very far away said.

Blackness turned to grey. Grey to a blurry white. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Bess and the saleslady kneeling beside me. The checkered dress was across my waist and breasts where it had fallen.

"Don't move, Nancy. You've been hurt." Bess cradled me in her arms.

"Should I call an ambulance?" The woman clerk asked both of us.

I weakly waved her off. "I'll be alright. Just a little woozy."

I looked around. the woman in purple was gone. Did she get away?"

The two looked at each other. "Did who get away?" Bess aked.

"There was a woman. She attacked me." I rubbed my chin with the palm of my hand. "She knocked me out."

"Nancy, " Bess said. "You were alone when we found you. There was no woman."

Bess explained she had finished trying all the outfits on and had returned to the store. "I was surprised you weren't waiting for me. I mean I must have been trying those outfits on for...oh, twenty minutes. I asked the slaeswoman here where you were."

That's right," the saleswoman added. "I told your friend you must have gone into the dressing room area for I hadn't seen you for a while. When we went looking for you you were in here on the floor. Unconscious."

I nodded. I'd been knocked out before. A lot even so I took it all in stride. With Bess' help I struggled to my feet. They led me to a chair where I sat down until the room stopped spinning.

Bess took the opportunity to make a cell call. "George? We're at Barbara's Boutique. Nancy's been hurt. Knocked out.

"

Their was a pause. Then, "Yes again. She's fine but maybe you should... Okay."

Bess clicked off and in less than ten minutes George joined us. George, I knew, could cover a mile in a flash. Especially in her running shoes which was what she was wearing. Her tank top was twisted to one side and damp with sweat.

Her concern was heart felt and I appreciated it.

It wasn't until later in the ay, afternoon in fact, when I went to take a shower that as I unhooked my bra the paper fell out. It must have been stuffed inside my bra (a second purse as George said) all along.

I hadn't noticed it before. The note, like myself, was small written on a tiny scrap of paper and folded once. It was no mystery how it had gotten there. The woman had stuffed it in there after she knocked me out.

I read the note.

Mind your own business or you'll

regret it.

I'd gotten notes as this many times so I treated as I would treat the other threats. I dumped it in the waste basket after examining for clues. There was none. It was simple typed note. No handwriting to exam or anything else.

Needless to say I wasn't frightened off. I was going to find what had become of Jodie and I thought I knew where to start looking.

Chapter 4

"Please be careful Nancy," Bess said as she curled my hands in hers. I could see the concern in her eyes and it touched me, deeply. "She's already put your lights out once and she won't hesitate to do it again."

I kissed Bess on the cheek. "I'll be careful. Promise. Besides I'll have George watching out for me."

"Bess, I'll keep her safe so don't worry." George smiled at her cousin. "And it's not like Nancy is going to be reckless. She has a good head on her shoulders."

"Yep," I added. "The only way she can put me lights out again is with a club."

Bess was unconvinced. "That's just what I'm afraid of."

George and I laughed but the truth was we were as worried as Bess. I was convinced the woman who had knocked me cold was the owner of Barbara's Boutique. I was also sure she had something to do with Jodie's disappearance. And it was her who had slipped the warning note in my bra after knocking me unconscious.

Was she the Jodie's Aunt of the note? That remained to be seen.

I glanced at george who was waiting for me to signal it was time to leave. I thought how lovely George looked. Her usual 'boyish' appearance was now greatly changed. She was wearing a accordion, pleated white skirt that could be described as almost 'frilly'. A thin cotton blouse, lavender in color. Even lipstick and eye shadow, not heavy but heavy by George Fayne standards.

By any body's standard George looked quite pretty. And I knew she had dressed to please me. I always preached to her about high lighting her femininity. I also knew my opinion carried weight with her. It was a secret to others, but not, for a long time tome, but George thought of me as more than a friend. If I had nodded to a romantic relationship George would have jumped to it without hesitation.

Still, even Ned understood that sleuthing was my first, and at the moment, my only love.

Yet, when dressing, especially when George was present, or soon to be seen, I had my dark haired friend in mind. I wanted to please her, look appealing as they say. Which why I was wearing George's favorite color skirt, deep blue with a very light blue blouse.

"Are we ready George?" I asked.

George nodded.

Our first stop was at Barbara's Boutique where George went in. She soon came back to the Mustang and she slid into the seat beside me. "The woman in there said she was Barbara. I just said I wanted to compliment her on the fashions. She was quite pleased.

Bess was to watch the front door, that was her job, a stakeout as it were. She'd cell phone me if The owner was to leave before I was finished at my end.

Then we drove to the house I suspected Jodie was being held at. Yes, I did all this on, what most would consider, flimsy evidence. but I was nancy Drew and someone had gone to a lot of trouble, and risk, by knocking me out and leaving a warning note in my bra.

As we pulled into the driveway George smiled, "Nancy Drew's on the case."

chapter 5

With Bess on the stakeout at the Boutique I felt it safe to park in front of the house. If Barbara left the Boutique Bess would cell me.

"George, stay out here, as watch, just in case. I shouldn't need too much time looking around. If Jodie is in here I'm sure I'll locate her in quick time."

George nodded. As any girl knows, short skirts, pleated ones at least, and winds are a treacherous combination. George had the hem of her skirt in her hand holding it down as best she could. At the moment the wind was winning.

"Oh. Pretty panties," I said.

George gave me a disgusted look. "Just hurry up. I don't want to out here long."

George looked out at the road. "At least there isn't much traffic."

The door was locked but that is kind of what I suspected. I discovered an unlocked window and climbed in and found myself in the front room of the house. A couch, some leather chairs, thick carpet and nothing, pictures and such, on the walls. The furniture looked more like props and did not give the house a 'lived in' appearance.

I searched the dining room, kitchen then up stairs where the bedrooms were. Only one room showed signs of life, a bedroom. Barbara's clothes were hung neatly in a closet, a nightgown lie on the bed. I didn't spend much time there since I reasoned Jodie, if she were a captive, as I thought would be kept in a less conspicuous place than a bedroom.

I scurried down the stairs and through the window I saw George fighting her losing battle with the wind.

Off the kitchen, in the hallway I found the door I was looking for. I opened it and below I saw the stairs leading down to the dark basement.

Banishing my pen light I descended.

The stairs, wooden ones, creaked as I went down. The cellar was cold, damp, creepy. I always had the illusion when I snooped in a cellar that there was someone hiding in the darkness so I shined my pen light in every dark corner. And under the staircase.

Nothing. And there was no Jodie either. But there was a door leading into another corner room.

I crossed over to it and opened it. I flashed the light around the room and it soon shone on Jodie.

She was in a straight backed chair looking my way with saucer eyes. She was gagged, her light brown hair tossed over one side of the gag. A rope , two ropes actually, were around her between her breasts and her waist. There was another one at her shoulders binding her securely to the back of the chair. Her wrists were roped to the arms of the chair and her legs tied to the legs of the chair. A rope around each ankle.

"Mmmmmmmfffff," was the sound she made. A helpless sound.

Yes, she had that disheveled look about her but who wouldn't given the situation?

I started to cross over to her but never made it.

Clunk! Some thing hard, very hard, hit the back of my head and I was out!

chapter 6- still don't own Nancy Drew. Just want to be the girl sleuth for the time being.

Black, black, black.

Been here before. My first thoughts when I came to were about George. I had dallied in the house too long and she was out there still trying to keep her skirt from the tyranny of the wind.

Me? I'd been a fool. My hunch had been right about Jodie but upon finding her I'd been bopped over the head and knocked out.

I discovered I was lying on the floor. When I tried to move I also found I couldn't because I was tied up. Hog tied. My wrists behind me, my legs pulled up and fastened to my arms with a rope.

I was able to role to one side. Jodie was looking down from her chair, still bound. "I thought you'd never come to," she said. Her gag was now hanging down around her neck. Somehow she had managed to remove it that far.

I, myself, wasn't gagged. "Okay. I suppose," I groaned, "this is where I ask what happened?"

"Barbara," Jodie explained breathlessly. "She was behind you. She knocked you out with the butt of her gun. It was so fast I didn't have time to warn you. Gads. You've been out an hour."

"60 minutes is an hour," I said. "But who's counting. It's not a record for me by any means."

I lifted my head. "George? George's outside. Why hasn't she...?"

"George isn't outside," Jodie explained gloomily. "She's lying behind you. Still out cold."

I rolled around. There was George, hog tied the same as me. And eyes closed. Out like a light I saw that much.

"Barbara carried her down after knocking you out. Barbara must have knocked her out too. She tied you both up and left. I think she's upstairs. I can hear her moving around sometimes so she didn't go far."

Jodie told me it was Barbara who had knocked her out with the paper weight just as I had surmised. And brought her to where she was now. Any more she didn't know. "I suppose I should ask you, just where are we? I was out when she brought me here. Are we still at the house?"

I filled her in on all that had happened and that we were no longer at the house she had met her Aunt at. There was plenty of time to narrate. What else did we have to do as bound as we were? None of us, at the moment, were going any where, now were we?

I wiggled over to George. I wondered if I could some how untie her but it was dark and I couldn't see the knots she was tied with well enough. There was a little window, way up high behind Jodie. There was enough light so I could see Jodie, so I scooted over behind her.

I could see the ins and outs of the knots. I tried to memorize what I'd have to do to unwind them since I'd have to kneel, painfully, with my back to Jodie and try my best to undo the knots with my fingers above my tied wrists.

Many times I had to spin, ouch, around and have another peek before continuing. At times I heard Barbara up above. then I heard a door open and close, a car, my Mustang, start and heard it being driven off.

The good news was I wouldn't have to worry about Barbara coming down to check on us. I was free to work at my leisure.

If I'm any thing I'm persistent. I worked on the knots tying Jodie although, over and over, I had to turn, which hurt, to see how I was progressing. It took a long time. George, during that time, came to.

"Are you okay?" Jodie was the first to ask. Knowing George I knew she was. She hadn't been as knocked out as often as I but she had been enough to say she was a veteran.

Finally I felt the difficult knot I was working on give. Jodie could now lean forward and with her teeth to untie the ropes tying her arms to the chair.

chapter 7

I was so proud of Jodie because she feed herself, then us. And it felt good to have my hands free again.

We untied George whose only concern was that of her skirt. "I'm never wearing one again," she announced rubbing her wrists. She had been so absorbed with fighting the wind and its lifting of her hem that Barbara had been able to sneak up behind her and knock her out.

I, we actually, had more things to worry about. Where was Barbara? When would she return?

The three of rushed upstairs. We decided the best strategy was an all out attack on Barbara when she returned. "I think the three of us can over power her," was my thought.

"She might have that gun," Jodie cautioned.

She was correct of course but I devised a plan where we would jump her from hiding places by the front door. george, being the most athletic, would grab her 'gun hand'. Jodie and I would tackle her to the floor. Hopefully. We fetched the ropes from the basement and we could use them to tie her up.

Jodie explained why Barbara had kidnapped her. She, Barbara, wanted Jodie to sign everything she inherited over to Barbara so, Jodie thought, she could pay off the mortgage on the Boutique.

Ah Ha!

"I refused," Jodie went on, " so she knocked me out and brought me here. If you guys hadn't showed up." Jodie shrugged. "Who knows. I'd probably end up in the river some where."

"Probably." I agreed. Money does strange things to people. I'd learned that long ago. It wouldn't have been the first time it was the one and only motive for a murder. Even, gulp, the deaths of three people.

Our wait wasn't long. Soon Barbara showed up driving my Mustang. After climbing from it she hurried into the house through the front door.

The plan I had made almost worked.

george pinned Barbara's arms at her sides. the revolver must still had been in her purse since she wasn't banishing it. When Jodie and I went to wrestle her to the ground she flung us off, Jodie to the floor me into George. Together we tumbled to the floor.

George spent precious time trying to pull her skirt down so the world, which consisted of Jodie, Barbara and I, couldn't see her underwear.

I was wearing a skirt too but exposing my un unmentionables was the last thing on my mind. I regained my feet and lunged at Barbara. She tossed me aside once more.

But I had managed to cause Barbara to stumble. As I landed on the floor I was able to see the determined look in Jodie's eyes as she knocked Barbara out cold with a solid right cross to the chin.

Barbara's eyes rolled up and she sunk to the floor and lay still.

"Nice job," I congratulated Jodie.

Jodie smiled in satisfaction as she rubbed the knuckles of her right hand. "Did that feel good!"

George crawled over to Barbara's prone figure and examined her. " Out like a light. Did you ever think about a boxing career?" George looked up at Jodie.

We tied up Barbara and I fetched my cell from the Mustang and called the police.

the end


End file.
